Jeremiah 13:1

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

¶ Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.

Complete Jewish Bible:

ADONAI said to me, "Go, buy yourself a linen loincloth, and wrap it around your body; but don't soften it in water."

Berean Standard Bible:

This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.”

American Standard Version:

Thus saith Jehovah unto me, Go, and buy thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

Thus saith{H559} the LORD{H3068} unto me, Go{H1980} and get{H7069} thee a linen{H6593} girdle{H232}, and put{H7760} it upon thy loins{H4975}, and put{H935} it not in water{H4325}.

Cross-References (KJV):

Jeremiah 13:11

  • For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

Hebrews 1:1

  • ¶ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Jeremiah 27:2

  • Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

Ezekiel 4:1

  • ¶ Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, [even] Jerusalem:

Ezekiel 4:5

  • For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

Jeremiah 19:1

  • ¶ Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and [take] of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;

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Commentary for Jeremiah 13:1

Jeremiah 13:1 is the opening verse of a larger narrative that extends through verse 11, where God instructs the prophet Jeremiah to perform a symbolic act. In this verse, God commands Jeremiah to procure a linen girdle, which was a type of undergarment or loincloth commonly worn in ancient times, and to fasten it around his waist without washing it. This command serves as a tangible object lesson for the people of Judah, illustrating a message from God.

The historical context of this passage is set during the tumultuous period leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," was called by God to deliver messages of judgment and warning to the kingdom of Judah due to their idolatry and disobedience. The themes present in this verse include the use of symbolic actions to convey prophetic messages, the importance of heeding divine instruction, and the impending judgment on Judah for their unfaithfulness to God.

In the subsequent verses, Jeremiah follows God's instructions, wearing the girdle, then hiding it in a cleft of a rock by the Euphrates River. Later, he retrieves it to find it ruined and good for nothing, which God uses as a metaphor for how He will ruin Judah's pride because they have not listened to Him, have followed other gods, and have become obstinate and rebellious. Thus, Jeremiah 13:1 introduces a powerful visual aid to emphasize the consequences of apostasy and the certainty of God's judgment if the people do not repent and return to Him.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

  1. Strong's Number: H559
    There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אָמַר
    Transliteration: ʼâmar
    Pronunciation: aw-mar'
    Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet.
  2. Strong's Number: H3068
    There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יְהֹוָה
    Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
    Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
    Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה.
  3. Strong's Number: H1980
    There are 468 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: הָלַךְ
    Transliteration: hâlak
    Pronunciation: haw-lak'
    Description: akin to יָלַךְ; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively); (all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, [phrase] be eased, enter, exercise (self), [phrase] follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), [phrase] greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, [idiom] more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), [phrase] send, speedily, spread, still, surely, [phrase] tale-bearer, [phrase] travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-) faring man, [idiom] be weak, whirl.
  4. Strong's Number: H7069
    There are 76 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: קָנָה
    Transliteration: qânâh
    Pronunciation: kaw-naw'
    Description: a primitive root; to erect, i.e. create; by extension, to procure, especially by purchase (causatively, sell); by implication to own; attain, buy(-er), teach to keep cattle, get, provoke to jealousy, possess(-or), purchase, recover, redeem, [idiom] surely, [idiom] verily.
  5. Strong's Number: H6593
    There are 15 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: פִּשְׁתֶּה
    Transliteration: pishteh
    Pronunciation: pish-teh'
    Description: from the same as פַּשׁ as in the sense of comminuting; linen (i.e. the thread, as carded); flax, linen.
  6. Strong's Number: H232
    There are 259 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֵזוֹר
    Transliteration: ʼêzôwr
    Pronunciation: ay-zore'
    Description: from אֲזִקִּים; something girt; a belt, also a band; girdle.
  7. Strong's Number: H7760
    There are 550 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שׂוּם
    Transliteration: sûwm
    Pronunciation: soom
    Description: or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work.
  8. Strong's Number: H4975
    There are 45 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מֹתֶן
    Transliteration: môthen
    Pronunciation: mo'-then
    Description: from an unused root meaning to be slender; properly, the waist or small of the back; only in plural the loins; [phrase] greyhound, loins, side.
  9. Strong's Number: H935
    There are 2307 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: בּוֹא
    Transliteration: bôwʼ
    Pronunciation: bo
    Description: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way.
  10. Strong's Number: H4325
    There are 525 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מַיִם
    Transliteration: mayim
    Pronunciation: mah'-yim
    Description: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen; [phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).